room

Definition

An opportunity or scope (to do something).

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-West Germanic *rūm Old English rūm Middle English roum English room From Middle English roum (“room, space”), from Old English rūm (“room, space”), from Proto-West Germanic *rūm (“room”), from Proto-Germanic *rūmą (“room”), from Proto-Indo-European *(H)rewH- (“to dig out, root”). Cognate with Low German Ruum (“space, room”), Dutch ruim (“cargo load”), German Raum (“space, room”), Danish rum (“room, space”), Faroese rúm (“space, room”), Icelandic rúm (“bed, room, space”), Norn rum (“room”), Norwegian rom (“room, space”), Swedish rum (“room, space”), and also with Latin rūs (“country, field, farm”) through Indo-European; more at rural. Doublet of Raum, a surname from German. The word superficially appears to be an exception to the Great Vowel Shift, which might have produced the pronunciation /ɹaʊm/, but the retention of Middle English /uː/ before /m/ is regular. In fact, /aʊ/ does not occur before non-coronal consonants in Standard Modern English native vocabulary. Some dialects did undergo diphthongization in such a position and the pronunciation /ɹaʊm/ occurs, for example, in Lancashire.

Example Sentences

• "Thou lorde whiche knowest the hertes of all men, shewe whether thou hast chosen of these two, that the one maye take the roume of this ministracion, and apostleshippe from the which Judas by transgression fell, that he myght goo to his awne place."
• "Nor shalt thou give me room to doubt whether it be necessity or love, that inspires this condescending impulse."
• "He explains they have enough room to stand and lie down, points out the "little cup to brush our teeth", and the place where they pray."